Dirty Deeds

HelenKay Dimon has a writing style that quickly pulls a reader in and that, combined with the opening scene in Dirty Deeds, caught my attention and had my gears turning long before the romance began. Both Gaige and Alec have their secrets and determined to keep them, so naturally, they divulge things, little by little, in their intimate moments. The pair is good together and they have great chemistry, even when they're tiptoeing around each other. Between spies, possible espionage, attacks, break-ins, and the steam generated by our main characters, there's plenty going on, but the story did still lag a bit at times. Fortunately, the suspense, intrigue, and twists kept me plunging ahead for the next bit of action. Overall, Dirty Deeds is well-written, interesting, and entertaining. It is steamy and those scenes are pretty hot, but it's about so much more than that. There's a lot of story here and well worth the read.

Gaige Owens, a computer expert, was forcibly drafted into the CIA’s Special Activities Division, thanks to his ex-boyfriend who did a number on him. If Gaige doesn’t want to go to jail for a crime he didn’t commit, he has to heed Seth Lang’s orders. Alec Drummond, of Drummond Enterprises which deals with food and alternative fuels, is under scrutiny. Drummond Enterprises uses the seed banks situated in Svalbard, Norway – the Doomsday Vault, to be precise, and it seems an anomaly has been detected in their security system. Under cover of consulting, Gaige is to determine what is going on, but Alec trusts no one, especially not a handsome fellow he is to have underfoot 24/7. DIRTY DEEDS kicks off HelenKay Dimon’s new series, a spin-off of the Tough Love series, and I was ecstatic to see my favourite character, Seth Lang, make a return appearance. The premise is very exciting, as playing with the seed banks could be used to create global food shortages and starvation. Gaige and Alec are different from the ones in the previous series, as they are not officially agents, but Alec does work with the CIA from time to time on his own terms; Alec does everything on his own terms, and he’s a control freak and pretty set in his ways. Gaige is more gregarious, but he cannot help his attraction to Alec, even though the latter is a tough nut to crack. I liked that in spite of their reservations, Alec and Gaige act on their sexual chemistry, but better yet, there was no instalove; the relationship progressed organically. It was fascinating to watch Alec and Gaige tiptoe into love while learning about each other, considering Alec’s very guarded nature. As in the previous series, most of the story takes place in Munich, Germany – where Alec resides – but better yet, some of it is in Svalbard, and I thought that was exciting and so exotic. I like the European settings, it’s a really nice change, and all the technological stuff was exciting. As always, Ms. Dimon’s dialogues are brilliant, the writing has a masculine vibe, befitting the characters, and a rather surprising twist as to the villain, and a solid story. DIRTY DEEDS is good, but could have been great, and herein lies the problem: I just cannot put my finger on what’s missing. It’s very evenly paced, and I feel it could have been the issue, as nothing really “explodes”, or a lack of passion – not in the sexual way – but overall; I just don’t know. But best of all, I learned that the Doomsday Vault is a real thing! In spite of my reservations, I will be looking forward to the next instalment, because I really love the world Ms. Dimon has created, and those Drummond brothers are intriguing. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

This is a very enjoyable M/M romance that is full of suspense and mystery giving lots of twists and turns to the story that kept me flipping page after page. This is a spin off from Guarding Mr. Fine but can definitely be read standalone. Alec Drummond is the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. When he discovers Gaige Owens trying to hack his systems something tells him he could learn something from this guy. It may not be all business when it comes to Alec and Gaige thought! A very well done book and one I recommend to any who likes a little steam with their suspense!